Stone Mtn. Park expands by 54 acres, stream work planned

Big Sandy Creek, popular for its Stone Mountain Falls, trout fishing and other features in Stone Mountain State Park, will be the beneficiary of a 54-acre acquisition and a $290,000 stream restoration project.

The N.C. Council of State on Dec. 7 approved purchase of the land, on Big Sandy Creek’s headwaters in Alleghany County, for $318,000. In addition to the property acquisition and the work on Big Sandy, projects in the park costing about $2.9 million are under way or have been announced by state officials.

The 54 acres were purchased from John and Ella Richardson to help keep sediments out of Big Sandy Creek and prevent other water quality threats, said Sue Regier, head of resource management programs for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

Only a few signatures are needed now for the sale to be final, said Ms. Regier, adding that $320,000 from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund was allocated for buying the land, surveys and various closing costs.

The property is off Lyons Road, a dead-end road off Oklahoma Road, and is near but not adjacent to a tract purchased recently for the park from F.A. Royall. Ms. Regier said state park officials are interested in buying land in that area near the park as it becomes available. She said the land mostly is in forest, but includes an old home and shed that will be removed. It’s on the north side of Lyons Road, just after crossing Big Sandy Creek after turning off Oklahoma Road. Stone Mountain State Park Superintendent Ed Farr said the $290,000 allocated for stream restoration on about 4,200 feet of Big Sandy Creek includes about $160,000 for actual construction and the rest for design work and monitoring the stream after completion.

Funding is from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Raleigh-based Earth Tech of North Carolina has been hired to plan and oversee the work.

“If everything goes well and we get all the necessary approval, we should be able to begin work in April,” said Farr, explaining that work can’t start until April because trout are spawning in the stream in the preceding months.

That section of Big Sandy Creek is designated “wild trout waters,” which means it has trout (mostly brook) that weren’t stocked. Farr said work will mostly include stabilizing stream banks contributing sediments to the stream, apparently as a result of the stream channel being

The Hutchinson homestead is along the Stone Mountain Loop Trail, a trail which is scheduled for improvements. The original cabin was built in 1855.

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